We still had plenty of balloons today, and we added a jump back to the 1880s!

Stations:We stretched our convergent thinking skills with analogies. We also continued our balloon research to finish up our Balloon Fact books. We used our divergent thinking skills to create sketches of our Ultimate Parade Transportation.

Novel Study:We continued our reading of Twenty-One Balloons, focusing on a description of the professor's giant balloon and an unexpected visitor in the story.

Affective:We worked on our mindfulness practice with Cloud Breathing. This is a great video that kids can use to feel calm when they need to relax. We also learned about our Multiple Intelligences and the parts of our brains.

Connections & Research:We lifted off our next research topic with some time in the Computer Lab to find out all about the 1880s, which is the setting of our novel.

We had a fantastic second day of Target! We finished more of our Basics in our notebooks for our affective skills-the Class Rules & Procedures sections. Algebra: We reviewed Lesson 6 from last year and then got started on our End of Level 1 Hands-On-Equations Assessment. We'll finish that up next week and start on our math grouping from there.

Stations: We dusted off our convergent thinking skills with some basic logic puzzles. We also used our divergent thinking skills to create word clouds on Tagxedo. We also used our critical thinking skills to read/research about hot air balloons.

​Affective: Later, we practiced our mindfulness skills with a short lesson about Calming Down the Amygdala. This video is a little goofy, but it gets the point across and the kids love it.

Novel Study:We read more of our book, Twenty-One Balloons. The mystery is how did Professor Sherman end up in the Atlantic Ocean with 20 balloons. In order to understand more about his travel path, we learned about longitude and latitude. It was fun for the kids to look up famous places and find places using the longitude and latitude.

​We also used evaluative thinking to "Vote with Our Feet". Ask your child about that!​Check out the fun below:

HW: Edmodo-"How did Professor Sherman end up in the Atlantic Ocean with 20 balloons?"

We had a great first day of Target! It was jam packed with activities to help us get back in the saddle!

We got our notebooks set up, starting with some basics like our Class Rules and Procedures. Several of the kids didn't have their notebooks and folders today. It would be wonderful if those supplies came in next week.

We worked together to develop our collaboration and problem solving skills while we solved the "Cup Stack Challenge". Check out the fun below:​

Affective:We revisited our multiple intelligences with a short survey. It's great for kids to see how their talents and interests may have changed since last year. These surveys also help us to provide opportunities for our students to work in their area of strength more often.

​We refreshed our mindfulness practice with an old favorite, "4-7-8 Breathing". Check it out and maybe try it yourself after a long day at work!

Novel Study:We started our book, Twenty-One Balloons, with a fun activity discussing modes of travel and then comparing and contrasting hot air balloon travel to one of the other modes of travel. Check out their great ideas below:

We also saw a fantastic video called, "Hot Air Henry" from Reading Rainbow. It did a great job in providing good background knowledge about hot air balloons before starting our novel. Finally, we read most of the introduction to our book. We're excited to begin this nove!, which happens to be a Newberry Medal winner. There are so many wonderful STEM activities and creative projects that go along with the book perfectly. We have nearly enough copies of the book for all the kids. If you happen to have this book, your child is welcome to bring their own copy.